Power strips exist which are capable of turning the power off completely to eliminate the “phantom” or “vampire” power draw from devices which can occur even when the component is turned off. “Smart” power strips also exist which use a master/peripheral correlation by which if the master is turned off, the peripheral outlets are also turned off. One example of this smarter power strip might describe a TV plugged-into the master outlet and home theater components (DVD player, cable box, home theater receiver, etc) all of which are plugged-into the peripheral outlets of the power strip. When the TV is powered off, which is typically detected by measuring wattage use at the outlet, all of the component devices that are plugged-into the power strip are also powered off to eliminate any power draw. Thus, either all peripheral devices are powered on or they are all powered off. However, when peripheral devices are connected or powered on at the power strip, the “phantom” or “vampire” power draw from those devices can still occur if the component is powered-on at the power strip even when the peripheral, component itself is turned off at the device and not currently used in conjunction with a master device which is turned on, e.g. when a DVD device is used but not a cable box device in conjunction with a powered on TV in a user viewing system.
Thus there is a need for an improved methodology and implementation for eliminating the unintended “phantom” or “vampire” power draw by devices that are turned off at the peripheral device itself but still connected at a common power strip with a turned on master or computer device.